Running Backs Most Likely to Rise in 2026:

Chase Brown, CIN: Several weeks back, we talked about the historically low dropout numbers at the running back position. Only three 2025 studs failed to recapture the magic, though two were very close to doing that: Josh Jacobs (RB12) and Saquon Barkley (RB14). I'm dubious of Jacobs this year with legal clouds looming over his head, and Barkley seems like a shoo-in Top 10 returnee provided he plays a full slate. So, let's talk about some other guys who might pull it off, starting with the guy who slotted in right ahead of them both at RB11, Chase Brown.

For the second consecutive season, Brown racked up over 1,300 yards -- including career highs in both rushing and receiving yards -- and precisely 11 touchdowns. He did this, mind you, playing most of the season without Joe Burrow, who missed the middle part of the campaign before miraculously returning in Week 13. In the games sans Burrow, Brown averaged 9.8 FPts/G. Not too shabby, actually, when you consider Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker averaged 9.5 on the season. In the games with Burrow, however, the Illinois product skyrocketed to 14.9 FPts/G, which would have put him comfortably in the Top 10 extrapolated out over 17 games.

Burrow is back in 2026, of course, and the Bengals stood effectively pat at the running back position this offseason, electing to run it back with Brown, Samaje Perine, and some other guys you've probably never heard of. Did I mention all of those stats I just cited were for standard (read: non-PPR) leagues? Brown really shone in the Cincy passing game (69 receptions, 437 yards, and five scores) and was only out-targeted by three other backs overall. I'm bullish on the Bengals and their lead back this coming year.

Ashton Jeanty, LV: It's never a great sign when I'm talking about a Top 10 Riser two years running, for obvious reasons. This guy deserves another shot, though, despite a mostly miserable rookie year punctuated by two explosive performances (33.5 points in Week 4 and 30.8 more in Week 16). Take out those 30-plus games, and the Raiders' prized rookie only averaged 8.5 FPts/G over the other 15, or about what Kimani Vidal averaged down in Inglewood. Woof!

If there's a silver lining to Jeanty's 2025 totals, it starts with those two explosive performances. They both came against playoff-bound teams (Chicago and Houston, respectively), and they both featured 60-yard-plus house calls, something the former Boise State star used to uncork routinely on the Smurf turf. Those two long touchdowns were actually his two longest plays from scrimmage all season, and if there had been even two more, he'd have vindicated my decision to tag him as a Top 10 Riser in the first place.

For all the handwringing over Jeanty's failure to dazzle -- 3.7 YPC and a miserable 1.6 YBC -- he still averaged a respectable 11.3 FPts/G and finished up as RB15. Yes, that was on very high volume (321 total touches), but it's a good sign as we head into 2026.

So is the arrival of Klint Kubiak and, at some point this season, Fernando Mendoza. Jeanty was dragged down by an abysmal supporting cast last season, but now has a coach whose wide-zone scheme is almost tailor-made for his skill set and a QB who will raise all boats sooner rather than later. The Raiders also upgraded their O-line this offseason, adding Tyler Linderbaum at center. I like where this franchise is headed for the first time in a long while.

Omarion Hampton, LAC: Shall we run it back twice this year? OK, so my Top 10 Riser RB predictions weren't so hot last summer. I wouldn't blame you for being skeptical this year's crop will fare any better. Consider what I just wrote about Jeanty, however. Despite what most considered a lackluster rookie season, he was still a high-end RB2 by any measure and almost certainly won you some games when he went off. Now consider this: Omarion Hampton, 2025's other hyped rookie runner, actually outperformed him, albeit slightly, on a per-game basis (11.5 FPts/G).

That Hampton played much fewer of them (only nine regular-season appearances due to a fractured left ankle) is a fair counterpoint to the above, but it's decidedly UNfair to label a guy injury-prone when he's only got one full NFL campaign under his belt. After all, the former Tarheel missed NO games while plying his trade over in Chapel Hill. What stands out even more for me is what the kid did when he returned in Week 14.

Over his final four games of the season (he sat out Week 18 for precautionary reasons and to prep for the playoffs), Hampton averaged 11.7 FPts/G. Mind you, the Chargers he returned to looked much different than the Chargers he left in Week 5, having lost their other star tackle, Joe Alt, in Week 9.

This year's version of the Bolts will have both star bookends, Alt and Rashawn Slater, who missed all of 2025 due to a ruptured patellar tendon. Moreover, the team replaced Greg Roman with Mike McDaniel, which should energize an offense that was good enough to make the playoffs but laid an(other) egg in the second season.

Bottom line: Kimani Vidal won't be LA's top-gaining RB in 2026.

Next: Wide Receivers